Those are the words we have stuck in our head, as of late. With the world in such a dizzy spell of violence and outrage, its hard to believe in a world where war doesn’t exist. But, like the faithful dreamers we are, we will have hope.

War has been around for centuries, and probably since the dawn of man; and yet between the moments of fiery battle and angry destruction, we somehow all find moments of tranquility and joy.

We uncovered a huge collection of beautiful war time photography dating to World War 2 that capture brilliantly and honestly those moments of humanity that really make us the grand creatures we truly are destined to be.

There are smiles, and laughs, and plenty of love and friendship – so much so, that it becomes heartbreaking to imagine the lives of these young boys, and the persistence of wondering whether or not they even survived the tragedies that awaited them.

Here is a look at some of the mysterious moments captured that we now possess to share with the world never to be forgotten.

So, there’s an itty bitty taste of what our collection contains! You’ve seen other unique photos from our collection before, and many of them have been shipped off to museums and/or universities where they will be safely stored and studied for their remarkable sense of composition, as well as place and time.

We are so proud and honoured to have these vintage snapshots as a part of our brand, and I think it is so important for us to keep obtaining these and other photographs, as so these moments will not be lost in time, and the artists, though unknown, can retain some respect and admiration for their spur of the moment creative thought and action!

You’ll probably see a few of these posted on our Etsy {SHOP} over the next few days, so please check it out! Vintage vernacular photographs are one of a kind, and is an affordable way to start collecting art! You can guarantee these pieces will start a million conversations, which is just another aspect that is incredibly enjoyable when collecting vintage snapshot photography.

There is no doubt that the world would not be the same place if it hadn’t been for Alan Turing [b. 23 June 1912 – d. 7 June 1954]. In fact, you wouldn’t be reading this delectable morsel if it weren’t for the incredible genius of this British mathematician in developing the modern day computer.

A prophet of mathematics, with a natural inclination to numbers and science, Turing entered King’s College in 1931 and graduated Honors in Mathematics pioneering the working model for the Turing Machine, which operated on “Algorithims” that would make computing any mathematical problem conceivable. Obtaining a PhD from Princeton in June 1938, Turing furthered his concepts introducing oracles that could plan and solve complex problems that the Turing Machine was unable to compute.

It wasn’t until war time that Turing’s incredible genius would truly be implored, joining the German code-breaking team at Bletchley Park in September 1938. Using his profound wizardry in the realm of numbers, Turing was able to develop a statistical approach using computing machines to decode the impossible German Enigma-codes. This would ultimately provide the Allies with a major advantage in winning the war.

Turing was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his services during wartime.

Turing also applied his mathematical brilliance in the fields of biology, imploring mathematical thought to the idea of pattern formation in nature. He also used mathematics to develop the foundations for the science behind morphogenesis – how biological forms come to be.

So in short, a {Hero}.

However, although interesting, it’s not his mathematic, scientific, or civil achievements that really caught our attention. It is, in fact, his mysterious and bizarre death.

It all began quite innocently – the way these things always begin. After being victim to a petty burglary of his home in January of 1952, police investigations opened the flood gates, revealing Turing’s homosexuality, which in fact was illegal in the UK at this point. Wanting to evade going to prison, Turing was able to go on probation after agreeing to a chemical castration that would require him to take injects of stilboestrol, a synthetic estrogen hormone.

Perhaps the injects caused moments of weakness or uncertainty, as various mood disorders and physical ailments have now been attributed to stilboestrol. And while he is recorded as throwing “such a jolly [tea] party” for a neighbour and her son four days before he died, he was found in the most macabre of circumstances: laying in bed with a half-eaten apple at his side.

If this sounds like fairy tale, don’t be mistaken, the past is a twisted and dark place, but there’s no denying the comparison to Turing’s death and the story of Snow White and The Seven Dwarves – Turing’s recorded favourite fairy tale. Novelist David Leavitt quotes that the mathematical genius took “an especially keen pleasure in the scene where the Wicked Queen immerses her apple in the poisonous brew.”

Many have speculated that Turing may have soaked the apple in poison as an homage to his favorite tale of dark pleasure and deceit, others (his mother particularly) have asserted that Turing was in fact just careless when it came to storing his lab chemicals. Whatever the truth may be, the circumstances surrounding Turing’s untimely demise are as fascinating as his science. His death was ruled a suicide, but recent discoveries seem to point in other directions.

Perhaps it was just a way to say good-bye to a cruel world, unwilling to accept the man, no matter how great his genius. He was but the innocent, and it was a truly unjust society that would poison the likes of such an incredible mind.

Luckily, Turing’s legacy lives on every we look. From this computer screen, to our televisions, and phones, the airplanes in the sky, the subway beneath my feet – all these things and more would not be possible without Turing’s ingenuity and courage to innovate.

Let’s face it – the world we live in now, and the world seventy one years ago were two very different places. While some of the biggest box-office smash include the CG comic-book action explosion, The Avengers, top grossing films of 1942 included I Married a Witch, Road to Morocco, and the year’s highest grossing epic, Mrs. Miniver.

On top of that, the world was completely engulfed by the horrors and tragedies of WAR. 1942 was a year, when the best was yet to come, and undoubted pressures and insecurities were running mad like devils (this not being too different than our current social climate), and no doubt there were those who were foreseeing THE END.

Luckily, THE END has yet to be seen in terms of whether or not we are physically standing on this Earth today – this I can confidently attest to. Luckily for us, the horrors of such a war are far behind us. But let us not forget the times where we weren’t so sure.

“On the wet windy evening of January 22, a youthful band of idealists went to a lonely cabin in the Maryland woods.”

These pictures were taken 70 years ago, as well. The year is 1942 and we, The Eye of Faith, have taken a journey South to the backwoods of Maryland where “On the wet windy evening of January 22, a youthful band of idealists went to a lonely cabin in the Maryland woods.”

These previously unpublished photographs taken by LIFE Magazine photographer Thomas McAvoy amazingly capture the drama of a “hexing party” organized “to kill Adolf Hitler by voodoo incantation.” in definitely one of LIFE’s weirdest and most wonderful pieces of history ever untold. It would be three more years until Hitler would go down by his own hand, but such a powerful force of evil could have used a few more helping hands.

“a dressmaker’s dummy, a Nazi uniform, nails, axes, tom-toms and plenty of Jamaica rum,” …sounds like the tagline for a damn good movie.

“STRANGER THAN PARADISE . . . “

by The Eye of Faith

On a journey through the mystery of the most beautiful place on Earth.

Taking us to a world both wild and exotic, this series was inspired by the faded 1940s dreams and memories of life on the high seas in the South Pacific. It is the tale of society’s soldiers taken hostage by the wild. In many ways, it is a true Paradise Lost lived . . .

In a place where the air is hot and its perfume sweet it is hard not to be intoxicated by your surroundings –

So, I’m sure you’ve gathered we love vintage photographs. We love them for the mystery contained within them, and all the precious memories storied behind their glossy surfaces. We love the people, and their intricate personalities that still shine through even without knowing them.

You get a sense of them and their world by just what they are wearing. You know they chose it, and you can’t help but marvel at the standards of style in the past, most of which keep inching their way back into the forefront of contemporary fashion and style.

We often turn to the photographs and snapshots we’ve collected to give us inspiration for the many clothes we have gathered to make our collection. Whether or not these silent stories are known or not, is of little consequence, but even just to imagine and invoke them in the different pieces seems to give it a special power.

We decided to pair just a few of our finds from the {SHOP} to see what we could conjure!

And while many of us are not able to make the trip to the elusive Film Festival in the south of France, a tantalizing teaser trailer has dropped full of clues and mystery. Are these men stuck on an island? What is Joaquin Phoenix drinking? Is he crazy? Well, of course he is!

It will be good to get the full scoop come the end of the year when the film is set for release. One thing is for sure, the good ole’ Phoenix we know and love seems to be back! Just watch how his eyes jitter, and he bites at that dialogue – this might be his most shining moment he’s had in a while.

This will be Paul Thomas Anderson’s first film since his triumphant 2007 film ‘There Will Be Blood’, exposing the crooked evils of the American Dream bathed in dust, sunlight, and crude oil (“I Drink Your Milkshake!”). The film has already left a legacy for Daniel Day Lewis, who won an Academy Award for playing the film’s anti-hero, as well as the dark and dusty American fashions that you can spot today on many runways. Anderson has never been one to follow the status-quoe , so expect the unexpected with his latest!

Check out the undoubted Paradise Found inspiration in the middle of the teaser! Foresight! We are not Style ORACLISTS, for nothing! Seriously, though – don’t think you won’t be seeing that again this summer!

Fight! Fight! Fight! FIGHT!

Soldiers Having Some Extreme On-Deck Pre-‘Planking’ Planking {Circa. 1940s – Courtesy of The Eye of Faith}.

The famous Flying Tigers fighter squadrons of WWII definitely were a group of bad-ass troops! Being the “1st American Volunteer Group” (AVG) of the Chinese Air Force between 1941-1942. While most of the news in the U.S. came back in defeat by Japanese Forces, the ‘Flying Tigers’ used innovation, skill, and above all style, to make a crash landing fight to victory. Some also argue the men as mercenaries working under hefty contracts from the Chinese Government. Either way, we have to admit these men had some guts.

Check out this extremely rare WWII Avirex A-2 Chinese Air Force Bomber Flight Military Leather Jacket (say that three times fast). Such great condition, and with a story to tell too. Takes a real hero to pull this one off.

When looking for vintage leather pieces, always look for that beautiful distressing that happens to leather when it’s been worn. Why spend a lifetime getting a jacket to the most perfect soft wear, if you can get one whose already had a lifetime of use? And in this case, very exciting use!

Check out the Blood Chit tag at the back! This is the most fascinating bit of history sewn on the back with the Blood Chit used to identify a friend. Love seeing clothes as a communication tool on such a huge level.

Keep history alive, and rock this coat with a slick pair of dark denim jeans, and a simple white t-shirt. Couldn’t even imagine a cooler coat.

CLOTHING & LIFESTYLE Blog: Explorations of the [past/present/future]

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The men and women who inspire…Style Idols and Divinities are unique individuals with style beyond the things they wear, but also the way they lived. Delve into their unique stories accompanied by an expansive array of photos to muse over!

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NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

The Eye of Faith {Vintage} is a brand dedicated to integrating time traveled wisdom from the {past} with the {present} to help shape the {future}. It is an age old symbol of believing in oneself, and having faith in your dreams. No longer must we be lost. We are a burgeoning society dedicated to an alternative to the purchase of affordable fashion forward apparel, accessories, and home decor. We also provide design services and consultation, as well as costume and styling. At our core, we are a source of inspiration and musing.
Please enjoy your time here.
If you have any questions, please email the.eye.of.faith@gmail.com